High profile lawyer makes pro bono offer
Non-Jewish criminal lawyer Peter Lavac is offering free legal advice to Jews impacted by antisemitism
Peter Lavac is not Jewish, but the high profile Sydney criminal lawyer has courageously chosen to take a stand against antisemitism in the public spotlight via activism, through education as a speaker, and by offering free legal advice to any impacted Jews.
Lavac, who has worked on more than 100 murder cases in Australia and overseas, is a colourful character, known for not mincing his words.
When speaking to The AJN last week, his first line – delivered with considerable punch – was “I hate injustice, and I will not put up with it”.
Lavac has seen the best and worst of humanity in his career, but said, “Nothing prepared me for the obscene horrors of October 7, 2023 by Hamas terrorists”.
“And I was disgusted at what happened two days later, at our very own Sydney Opera House, when antisemitic thugs spewed hatred and vitriol”.
He was “most disturbed” by “the lack of adequate response” from police, and since then, “from our useless, gutless [federal] government . . . who have done everything in their power to totally destroy the valuable friendship that did exist between Israel and Australia – the only democracy in the Middle East”.
“And by failing to crack down immediately [on antisemitism], they not only fuel the fire – they’re fanning the flames.”
On October 30 last year, Lavac and a close friend draped themselves in Israeli flags when leading a protest at the University of Sydney, which went viral on social media.
“We’re not Jews, but that’s irrelevant . . . We were there to demand vice chancellor Mark Scott’s resignation, for failing to protect Jewish students from antisemitism on his campus, happening under his watch,” Lavac recalled.
“Scott had allowed my once proud and tolerant university to degenerate into a toxic swamp of intolerant, neo-Marxist, extreme left wing cancel culture, and a cesspit of repugnant antisemitism.”
Last November, Lavac accompanied a former Israeli soldier to St George police station to ensure they received evidence from him of the supply and sale of items featuring Hezbollah symbols.
And on December 4, when congregants were in lockdown at the Great Synagogue during an unauthorised anti-Israel protest occurring directly outside, and the only person arrested by police was a Jewish man holding an Israeli flag, Lavac provided him with pro bono legal advice.
Advocacy and generating awareness is also important to Lavac, who late last year spoke at a forum at a synagogue in northern Sydney, presented by The Empowered Jew and Operation Golda.
He will do so again on the evening of Sunday, March 16, this time in Sydney’s east, as one of several high profile guest speakers.
Lamenting the amount of pro-Hamas propaganda being redistributed via social media and often also in the mainstream media, Lavac said, “Ordinary Aussies need to be reminded that Israel didn’t start this war, and that it is fighting for its very existence against enemies who seek its total annihilation, and it is fighting a war for democracy, and against terrorism”.
“Ordinary Aussies also need to be reminded of what happened on October 7, when disgusting animals gang raped Israeli girls and young women before their brutal murder; when depraved perverts filmed their handiwork as a ghoulish momento; when children were tortured and killed in front of their parents.
“What sort of gutless cowards execute hostages, parade the naked and bloodied bodies of murdered Israeli girls, and murder red-headed babies and their mother in cold blood?”
With antisemitic incidents in Australia showing no sign of decreasing, Lavac confirmed he is “willing to give free legal advice to any Jewish people who are having these sorts of problems”.
“My main message is that I want to stand up and speak out on behalf of all ordinary Aussies, I want to send a message to the Jewish people that you’re not alone, and I want to help educate ordinary Aussies so they actually know what’s going on.”
To book for the March 16 Sydney event that Peter Lavac will be a speaker in, or to find out more, visit https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1354945
To contact Peter Lavac in relation to seeking pro bono legal advice related to being impacted by antisemitism, email lavacenquiries@gmail.com
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